openpaymentsdata.cms.gov: Accessibility — week 2026-W33

Automated Accessibility Conformance Report (OpenACR): Download ACR. Machine-readable; compatible with GSA OpenACR tooling. Automated tools find ~⅓ of real barriers — supplement with manual AT testing.

Training priorities

Top WCAG success criteria by pages affected this week. Use these to focus team training on the highest-impact issues.

SC	Criterion	Pages	Rules	Notes
4.1.2	Name, Role, Value (ARIA)	153	3	Component inconsistency
1.4.8	WCAG 1.4.8	113	1
2.5.5	WCAG 2.5.5	113	1
1.3.1	Info and Relationships (semantic structure)	1	1

Next 10 actions

Clusters are fingerprinted by normalized selector path + rule id + snippet shape. Rank score = (severity weight × pages affected) / distinct components for the rule. This supersedes the template threshold heuristic while still surfacing it as a validation signal.

Top 10 clustered component fixes for this week.
Cluster	Severity	Pages	Who it affects	How to fix	Evidence	Decision
Buttons must have discernible text · unattributed component Fix one place, resolve ~51 finding(s) on 51 page(s). XPath / selector: `.ds-l-col--12 > div > .ds-u-display--flex:nth-child(1) > .ds-c-button--ghost.ds-c-button[type="button"]` `<button type="button" class="ds-c-button ds-c-button--ghost">`	Critical	51	Without vision, Limited vision, Limited manipulation/strength	Give the button an accessible name via its text content, aria-label, or aria-labelledby.	pages (CSV)	Decision Assigned to Notes
Form field label is visible · unattributed component Fix one place, resolve ~113 finding(s) on 113 page(s). XPath / selector: `{"type":"document","children":[{"type":"type","name":"html","publicId":null,"sys`	Moderate	113	Requires manual testing.	See remediation guidance: https://alfa.siteimprove.com/rules/sia-r61	pages (CSV)	Decision Assigned to Notes
aria-hidden element does not contain focusable elements · unattributed component Fix one place, resolve ~152 finding(s) on 76 page(s). XPath / selector: `<div id="tooltip-trigger--124" tabindex="-1" class="ds-c-tooltip" data-placement="bottom-start">`	Moderate	76	Without vision, Limited vision, Limited manipulation/strength	See remediation guidance: https://alfa.siteimprove.com/rules/sia-r17	pages (CSV)	Decision Assigned to Notes
aria-hidden element does not contain focusable elements · unattributed component Fix one place, resolve ~76 finding(s) on 76 page(s). XPath / selector: `<div aria-labelledby="overview__tab" aria-hidden="true" class="ds-c-tabs__panel ds-u-border--0 ds-u-padding-x--0" id="overview">`	Moderate	76	Without vision, Limited vision, Limited manipulation/strength	See remediation guidance: https://alfa.siteimprove.com/rules/sia-r17	pages (CSV)	Decision Assigned to Notes
Button has accessible name · unattributed component Fix one place, resolve ~26 finding(s) on 26 page(s). XPath / selector: `<button type="button" class="ds-c-button ds-c-button--ghost">`	Moderate	26	Without vision, Limited vision, Limited manipulation/strength	Give the button an accessible name via text, aria-label, or aria-labelledby.	pages (CSV)	Decision Assigned to Notes
Text has minimum contrast ratio of 4.5:1 · unattributed component Fix one place, resolve ~113 finding(s) on 113 page(s). XPath / selector: `<p class="ds-c-usa-banner__header-text">`	Moderate	113	Requires manual testing.	See remediation guidance: https://alfa.siteimprove.com/rules/sia-r73	pages (CSV)	Decision Assigned to Notes
Text has minimum contrast ratio of 4.5:1 · unattributed component Fix one place, resolve ~113 finding(s) on 113 page(s). XPath / selector: `<p class="ds-c-usa-banner__action ds-u-align-items--center ds-u-md-display--none ds-u-display--flex">`	Moderate	113	Requires manual testing.	See remediation guidance: https://alfa.siteimprove.com/rules/sia-r73	pages (CSV)	Decision Assigned to Notes
Text has minimum contrast ratio of 4.5:1 · unattributed component Fix one place, resolve ~76 finding(s) on 76 page(s). XPath / selector: `<p class="ds-u-margin--0 ds-u-font-weight--bold">`	Moderate	76	Requires manual testing.	See remediation guidance: https://alfa.siteimprove.com/rules/sia-r73	pages (CSV)	Decision Assigned to Notes
Text has minimum contrast ratio of 4.5:1 · unattributed component Fix one place, resolve ~28 finding(s) on 28 page(s). XPath / selector: `<p>`	Moderate	28	Requires manual testing.	See remediation guidance: https://alfa.siteimprove.com/rules/sia-r73	pages (CSV)	Decision Assigned to Notes
Target size is at least 44×44 CSS pixels (Enhanced) · unattributed component Fix one place, resolve ~112 finding(s) on 112 page(s). XPath / selector: `<a class="" href="/">`	Moderate	112	Requires manual testing.	See remediation guidance: https://alfa.siteimprove.com/rules/sia-r111	pages (CSV)	Decision Assigned to Notes

Bug reports

4 issue type(s) are shown by default out of 8 total. Prioritized by severity, key pages, WCAG level, and prevalence; use the toggle to show everything.

Overall severity mix: 1 critical, 1 serious, 6 moderate. By WCAG category: 4 WCAG 2.0 A, 2 WCAG 2.x AAA, 2 Undetermined. Ordered by severity, key-page impact, WCAG level, and prevalence. Following accessibility bug-reporting best practices. Download: Markdown · JSON (full archive) · JSON (AI diagnostic) · CSV (all findings) · Priority pages CSV · Priority pages JSON.

Automated testing does not establish full WCAG conformance. Findings in the verification lane require manual testing before they are treated as confirmed failures.

Default view shows 4 prioritized issue type(s); 4 more are available if you switch to "Show everything".

2 finding(s) marked "possible duplicate" — Alfa and axe-core both flagged the same WCAG SC on overlapping pages. If they target the same element, the axe-core report is authoritative. Filter the CSV by possible_duplicate_of to see these. Two engines flagging the same barrier reduces the chance of a false positive.

Findings needing review

These findings need manual verification before they can be treated as confirmed failures. Obligation remains visible for each finding.

Critical axe button-name WCAG 2.0 A Buttons must have discernible text (WCAG 4.1.2) 51/327 pages · 51 instances Likely template

Bug ID: VS-d124dc81
Pattern ID: VS-e7298c00
Combined ID: VS-d124dc81 (pattern VS-e7298c00) — use this format in JIRA/spreadsheets to filter by instance or pattern
WCAG category: WCAG 2.0 A
Obligation: required
Handling: review
WCAG SC: 4.1.2 Name, Role, Value (Level A, WCAG 2.0)
Rule: axe-core — Buttons must have discernible text [button-name]
Example URL: https://openpaymentsdata.cms.gov/state/alabama
XPath / selector: .ds-l-col--12 > div > .ds-u-display--flex:nth-child(1) > .ds-c-button--ghost.ds-c-button[type="button"]
History: first seen 2026-W28, last seen 2026-W33 (6 wk)

HTML snippet — use this to validate the finding without re-running the tool

<button type="button" class="ds-c-button ds-c-button--ghost">

Description

Buttons must have discernible text. Detected by axe-core rule button-name on 51 of 327 scanned pages (51 instances).

Steps to reproduce

Open https://openpaymentsdata.cms.gov/state/alabama.
Locate the element: .ds-l-col--12 > div > .ds-u-display--flex:nth-child(1) > .ds-c-button--ghost.ds-c-button[type="button"]
Confirm the axe-core finding for rule button-name against WCAG 4.1.2 Name, Role, Value.

Impact

Affects Without vision (1.0%), Limited vision (2.4%), Limited manipulation/strength (13.0%).

Without vision — 1.0% of population
Limited vision — 2.4% of population
Limited manipulation/strength — 13.0% of population

Affected pages

…and more — all 51 pages (CSV).

Testing environment

Automated: axe-core, headless Chromium (Playwright). Manual AT verification: Not captured by automated scan — requires manual testing.

Suggested fix

How to fix: Give the button an accessible name via its text content, aria-label, or aria-labelledby.

See remediation guidance: https://dequeuniversity.com/rules/axe/4.12/button-name?application=axeAPI

Triage status Notes

Serious axe list WCAG 2.0 A <ul> and <ol> must only directly contain <li>, <script> or <template> elements (WCAG 1.3.1) 1/327 pages · 1 instances Likely content

Bug ID: VS-75167228
Pattern ID: VS-a0bdbdf6
Combined ID: VS-75167228 (pattern VS-a0bdbdf6) — use this format in JIRA/spreadsheets to filter by instance or pattern
WCAG category: WCAG 2.0 A
Obligation: required
Handling: review
WCAG SC: 1.3.1 Info and Relationships (Level A, WCAG 2.0)
Rule: axe-core — <ul> and <ol> must only directly contain <li>, <script> or <template> elements [list]
Example URL: https://openpaymentsdata.cms.gov/datasets?keyword%5B%5D=2018
XPath / selector: ol
History: first seen 2026-W28, last seen 2026-W33 (6 wk)

HTML snippet — use this to validate the finding without re-running the tool

<ol class="dc-dataset-search-list ds-u-padding--0 ds-u-margin-top--0 ds-u-margin-bottom--4 ds-u-display--block" data-testid="results-list">

Description

<ul> and <ol> must only directly contain <li>, <script> or <template> elements. Detected by axe-core rule list on 1 of 327 scanned pages (1 instances).

Steps to reproduce

Open https://openpaymentsdata.cms.gov/datasets?keyword%5B%5D=2018.
Locate the element: ol
Confirm the axe-core finding for rule list against WCAG 1.3.1 Info and Relationships.

Impact

Affects Without vision (1.0%), Limited vision (2.4%), Limited cognitive, language, or learning ability (11.0%).

Without vision — 1.0% of population
Limited vision — 2.4% of population
Limited cognitive, language, or learning ability — 11.0% of population

Affected pages

/datasets

Testing environment

Automated: axe-core, headless Chromium (Playwright). Manual AT verification: Not captured by automated scan — requires manual testing.

Suggested fix

How to fix: Use <ul>/<ol> with only <li> children for lists; don't fake lists with <div>s.

See remediation guidance: https://dequeuniversity.com/rules/axe/4.12/list?application=axeAPI

Triage status Notes

Moderate alfa sia-r17 WCAG 2.0 A aria-hidden element does not contain focusable elements (WCAG 4.1.2) 76/327 pages · 380 instances · possible duplicate Likely template

Bug ID: VS-1800aaa7
Pattern ID: VS-f6cf30ff
Combined ID: VS-1800aaa7 (pattern VS-f6cf30ff) — use this format in JIRA/spreadsheets to filter by instance or pattern
WCAG category: WCAG 2.0 A
Obligation: required
Handling: review
WCAG SC: 4.1.2 Name, Role, Value (Level A, WCAG 2.0)
Rule: Siteimprove Alfa — aria-hidden element does not contain focusable elements [sia-r17]
Example URL: https://openpaymentsdata.cms.gov/dataset/b0c03b8d-06df-58f2-8ce2-4daeffee147e
XPath / selector: <div id="tooltip-trigger--124" tabindex="-1" class="ds-c-tooltip" data-placement="bottom-start">
History: first seen 2026-W24, last seen 2026-W33 (10 wk)
Possible duplicate: Same WCAG SC covered by axe report VS-d124dc81 (pattern VS-e7298c00). If axe and this engine flag the same element, the axe report takes precedence — mark this as duplicate in JIRA.

Description

aria-hidden element does not contain focusable elements. Detected by Siteimprove Alfa rule sia-r17 on 76 of 327 scanned pages (380 instances).

Steps to reproduce

Open https://openpaymentsdata.cms.gov/dataset/b0c03b8d-06df-58f2-8ce2-4daeffee147e.
Locate the element: <div id="tooltip-trigger--124" tabindex="-1" class="ds-c-tooltip" data-placement="bottom-start">
Confirm the Siteimprove Alfa finding for rule sia-r17 against WCAG 4.1.2 Name, Role, Value.

Impact

Affects Without vision (1.0%), Limited vision (2.4%), Limited manipulation/strength (13.0%).

Without vision — 1.0% of population
Limited vision — 2.4% of population
Limited manipulation/strength — 13.0% of population

Affected pages

…and more — all 76 pages (CSV).

Testing environment

Automated: Siteimprove Alfa, headless Chromium (Playwright). Manual AT verification: Not captured by automated scan — requires manual testing.

Suggested fix

See remediation guidance: https://alfa.siteimprove.com/rules/sia-r17

Triage status Notes

Moderate alfa sia-r12 WCAG 2.0 A Button has accessible name (WCAG 4.1.2) 26/327 pages · 26 instances · possible duplicate Likely template

Bug ID: VS-4a0f2c96
Pattern ID: VS-29f9f921
Combined ID: VS-4a0f2c96 (pattern VS-29f9f921) — use this format in JIRA/spreadsheets to filter by instance or pattern
WCAG category: WCAG 2.0 A
Obligation: required
Handling: review
WCAG SC: 4.1.2 Name, Role, Value (Level A, WCAG 2.0)
Rule: Siteimprove Alfa — Button has accessible name [sia-r12]
Example URL: https://openpaymentsdata.cms.gov/state/california
XPath / selector: <button type="button" class="ds-c-button ds-c-button--ghost">
History: first seen 2026-W28, last seen 2026-W33 (6 wk)
Possible duplicate: Same WCAG SC covered by axe report VS-d124dc81 (pattern VS-e7298c00). If axe and this engine flag the same element, the axe report takes precedence — mark this as duplicate in JIRA.

Description

Button has accessible name. Detected by Siteimprove Alfa rule sia-r12 on 26 of 327 scanned pages (26 instances).

Steps to reproduce

Open https://openpaymentsdata.cms.gov/state/california.
Locate the element: <button type="button" class="ds-c-button ds-c-button--ghost">
Confirm the Siteimprove Alfa finding for rule sia-r12 against WCAG 4.1.2 Name, Role, Value.

Impact

Affects Without vision (1.0%), Limited vision (2.4%), Limited manipulation/strength (13.0%).

Without vision — 1.0% of population
Limited vision — 2.4% of population
Limited manipulation/strength — 13.0% of population

Affected pages

…and more — all 26 pages (CSV).

Testing environment

Automated: Siteimprove Alfa, headless Chromium (Playwright). Manual AT verification: Not captured by automated scan — requires manual testing.

Suggested fix

How to fix: Give the button an accessible name via text, aria-label, or aria-labelledby.

See remediation guidance: https://alfa.siteimprove.com/rules/sia-r12

Triage status Notes

Moderate alfa sia-r111 WCAG 2.x AAA Target size is at least 44×44 CSS pixels (Enhanced) (WCAG 2.5.5) 113/327 pages · 2953 instances Likely template

Bug ID: VS-00e85609
Pattern ID: VS-cb53cc4d
Combined ID: VS-00e85609 (pattern VS-cb53cc4d) — use this format in JIRA/spreadsheets to filter by instance or pattern
WCAG category: WCAG 2.x AAA
Obligation: aspirational
Handling: review
WCAG SC: 2.5.5 Target Size (Enhanced) (Level AAA, WCAG 2.1)
Rule: Siteimprove Alfa — Target size is at least 44×44 CSS pixels (Enhanced) [sia-r111]
Example URL: https://openpaymentsdata.cms.gov/dataset/b0c03b8d-06df-58f2-8ce2-4daeffee147e
XPath / selector: <a class="" href="/">
History: first seen 2026-W24, last seen 2026-W33 (10 wk)

Description

Target size is at least 44×44 CSS pixels (Enhanced). Detected by Siteimprove Alfa rule sia-r111 on 113 of 327 scanned pages (2953 instances).

Steps to reproduce

Open https://openpaymentsdata.cms.gov/dataset/b0c03b8d-06df-58f2-8ce2-4daeffee147e.
Locate the element: <a class="" href="/">
Confirm the Siteimprove Alfa finding for rule sia-r111 against WCAG 2.5.5 Target Size (Enhanced).

Impact

Not captured by automated scan — requires manual testing.

Affected pages

…and more — all 113 pages (CSV).

Testing environment

Automated: Siteimprove Alfa, headless Chromium (Playwright). Manual AT verification: Not captured by automated scan — requires manual testing.

Suggested fix

See remediation guidance: https://alfa.siteimprove.com/rules/sia-r111

Triage status Notes

Moderate alfa sia-r73 WCAG 2.x AAA Text has minimum contrast ratio of 4.5:1 (WCAG 1.4.8) 113/327 pages · 979 instances Likely template

Bug ID: VS-41f86a17
Pattern ID: VS-2208081b
Combined ID: VS-41f86a17 (pattern VS-2208081b) — use this format in JIRA/spreadsheets to filter by instance or pattern
WCAG category: WCAG 2.x AAA
Obligation: aspirational
Handling: review
WCAG SC: 1.4.8 Visual Presentation (Level AAA, WCAG 2.0)
Rule: Siteimprove Alfa — Text has minimum contrast ratio of 4.5:1 [sia-r73]
Example URL: https://openpaymentsdata.cms.gov/dataset/b0c03b8d-06df-58f2-8ce2-4daeffee147e
XPath / selector: <p class="ds-c-usa-banner__header-text">
History: first seen 2026-W24, last seen 2026-W33 (10 wk)

Description

Text has minimum contrast ratio of 4.5:1. Detected by Siteimprove Alfa rule sia-r73 on 113 of 327 scanned pages (979 instances).

Steps to reproduce

Open https://openpaymentsdata.cms.gov/dataset/b0c03b8d-06df-58f2-8ce2-4daeffee147e.
Locate the element: <p class="ds-c-usa-banner__header-text">
Confirm the Siteimprove Alfa finding for rule sia-r73 against WCAG 1.4.8 Visual Presentation.

Impact

Not captured by automated scan — requires manual testing.

Affected pages

…and more — all 113 pages (CSV).

Testing environment

Automated: Siteimprove Alfa, headless Chromium (Playwright). Manual AT verification: Not captured by automated scan — requires manual testing.

Suggested fix

See remediation guidance: https://alfa.siteimprove.com/rules/sia-r73

Triage status Notes

Moderate alfa sia-r61 Undetermined Form field label is visible (WCAG criterion undetermined) 113/327 pages · 113 instances Likely template

Bug ID: VS-3086dff5
Pattern ID: VS-7118fead
Combined ID: VS-3086dff5 (pattern VS-7118fead) — use this format in JIRA/spreadsheets to filter by instance or pattern
WCAG category: Undetermined
Obligation: unmapped
Handling: review
WCAG SC: undetermined
Rule: Siteimprove Alfa — Form field label is visible [sia-r61]
Example URL: https://openpaymentsdata.cms.gov/dataset/b0c03b8d-06df-58f2-8ce2-4daeffee147e
XPath / selector: {"type":"document","children":[{"type":"type","name":"html","publicId":null,"sys
History: first seen 2026-W24, last seen 2026-W33 (10 wk)

Description

Form field label is visible. Detected by Siteimprove Alfa rule sia-r61 on 113 of 327 scanned pages (113 instances).

Steps to reproduce

Open https://openpaymentsdata.cms.gov/dataset/b0c03b8d-06df-58f2-8ce2-4daeffee147e.
Locate the element: {"type":"document","children":[{"type":"type","name":"html","publicId":null,"sys
Confirm the Siteimprove Alfa finding for rule sia-r61.

Impact

Not captured by automated scan — requires manual testing.

Affected pages

…and more — all 113 pages (CSV).

Testing environment

Automated: Siteimprove Alfa, headless Chromium (Playwright). Manual AT verification: Not captured by automated scan — requires manual testing.

Suggested fix

See remediation guidance: https://alfa.siteimprove.com/rules/sia-r61

Triage status Notes

Moderate alfa sia-r78 Undetermined Table header has scope (WCAG criterion undetermined) 1/327 pages · 1 instances Likely content

Bug ID: VS-89700613
Pattern ID: VS-2cd767ca
Combined ID: VS-89700613 (pattern VS-2cd767ca) — use this format in JIRA/spreadsheets to filter by instance or pattern
WCAG category: Undetermined
Obligation: unmapped
Handling: review
WCAG SC: undetermined
Rule: Siteimprove Alfa — Table header has scope [sia-r78]
Example URL: https://openpaymentsdata.cms.gov/
XPath / selector: <h3 class="ds-text-heading--2xl ds-u-margin-bottom--0">
History: first seen 2026-W24, last seen 2026-W33 (3 wk)

Description

Table header has scope. Detected by Siteimprove Alfa rule sia-r78 on 1 of 327 scanned pages (1 instances).

Steps to reproduce

Open https://openpaymentsdata.cms.gov/.
Locate the element: <h3 class="ds-text-heading--2xl ds-u-margin-bottom--0">
Confirm the Siteimprove Alfa finding for rule sia-r78.

Impact

Not captured by automated scan — requires manual testing.

Affected pages

Testing environment

Automated: Siteimprove Alfa, headless Chromium (Playwright). Manual AT verification: Not captured by automated scan — requires manual testing.

Suggested fix

See remediation guidance: https://alfa.siteimprove.com/rules/sia-r78

Triage status Notes

Deque axe-core findings

Rule-level axe-core summary (2 rule type(s))

Each failing rule links out to the axe-core documentation. For full element-level detail including HTML snippets and XPaths, see the bug reports above.

axe-core rules failing in 2026-W33, by pages affected
Rule	Impact	Pages affected	Instances	Example pages	All affected
Buttons must have discernible text [button-name]	critical	51	51	/state/alabama /state/california /state/montana	all 51 pages (CSV)
<ul> and <ol> must only directly contain <li>, <script> or <template> elements [list]	serious	1	1	/datasets	all 1 pages (CSV)

Siteimprove Alfa findings

Rule-level Alfa summary (6 rule type(s))

Rule-level summary from Siteimprove Alfa (W3C ACT-based). Findings that overlap with axe-core on the same WCAG success criterion are noted as possible duplicates in the bug reports above.

Alfa rules failing in 2026-W33, by pages affected
Rule	Impact	Pages affected	Instances	Example pages	All affected
Target size is at least 44×44 CSS pixels (Enhanced) [sia-r111]	n/a	113	2953	/dataset/b0c03b8d-06df-58f2-8ce2-4daeffee147e /datasets /state/california	all 113 pages (CSV)
Text has minimum contrast ratio of 4.5:1 [sia-r73]	n/a	113	979	/dataset/b0c03b8d-06df-58f2-8ce2-4daeffee147e /datasets /state/california	all 113 pages (CSV)
Form field label is visible [sia-r61]	n/a	113	113	/dataset/b0c03b8d-06df-58f2-8ce2-4daeffee147e /datasets /state/california	all 113 pages (CSV)
aria-hidden element does not contain focusable elements [sia-r17]	n/a	76	380	/dataset/b0c03b8d-06df-58f2-8ce2-4daeffee147e /dataset/a08c4b30-5cf3-4948-ad40-36f404619019 /dataset/9c248e7e-7c7f-478b-ab84-ce0919d72c1c	all 76 pages (CSV)
Button has accessible name [sia-r12]	n/a	26	26	/state/california /state/montana /state/kentucky	all 26 pages (CSV)
Table header has scope [sia-r78]	n/a	1	1	/	all 1 pages (CSV)

Unique accessibility issues (axe + Alfa consolidated)

axe and Alfa both implement W3C ACT rules, so the same issue is often caught by both. These are deduplicated by ACT rule and page, so a shared finding counts once (494 raw engine findings → 468 unique).

Unique issues (rule × page): 468
Caught by both engines: 26 highest confidence
axe only: 26
Alfa only: 416

1 rule type(s) caught by both engines — highest confidence

Two independent ACT-rule implementations (Deque axe-core and Siteimprove Alfa) flagged the same issue on the same pages. Agreement between separate engines is strong evidence the barrier is real, not a single-tool false positive — the best place to start.

Rules flagged by both axe-core and Alfa in 2026-W33, by pages affected.
Issue	Pages	Rule references
Buttons must have discernible text	51	axe button-name · Alfa sia-r12 · ACT 97a4e1